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2003 Cadillac CTS body problems

22 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 70,000. 2 crashes reported.

owner complaints
22
of this car's complaints
7%
typical mileage
70,000
crashes
2
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Body
    9
  • Body: trunk lid
    5

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Cadillac CTS body problems in other years

2003200520102016

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2003 Cadillac CTS owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 12, 2019 · Body, Electrical · 157,000 miles · TX · fire

At about approximately 4:22 am this morning my car was engulfed in flames in my driveway. I was awakened by my cadillac cts 2003 car alarm as the flames we're visible thru my bedroom window. At which time I ran outside to turn on the water hose to turn off the fire as my family was sleeping in the house. My husband's car was right next to my cadi that had a full tank of fuel. I called 911 and the fire department arrived to turn off the fire on the cadillac cts 2003. And for more than ten minutes the fire was still blazing as the firemen unable to control the flames. My car is gone as it burned down. Please help me to understand why this happened. I only carried liability as this was all I could afford. I thank the lord that even when we were in harm's way, he jehovah god protected us. All the glory to jesus christ that their was no lost of life. Material things can be replaced. I am grateful to god for his mercy and grace. He has total control and I know that he was with us. I was not aware that these cars have a history of catching on fire. I am glad that we were not on the road when this happened. My mother suffered a stroke and this could of been more detrimental but god did not permit the hand of the enemy to touch us physically, halelujah to the lamb of god! I am blessed to be a child of god! I know that he will give us justice because he does not forsake his children and he is a god that does not lie. He is god emanuel! He is my shalom!

Filed Feb 4, 2018 · Body, Electrical · 130,000 miles · VA · fire

My 2003 cadillac cts caught on fire. Fireman said that it was the windshield wiper module that caught on fire. The car was parked for hours and fire started while we was sleeping. The whole engine is burnt up and the car is totaled. Now I have no car and no money to get another car.

Filed Jun 12, 2017 · Body · 70,000 miles · NJ

My car has been garaged kept for 13 years, only came out in the summer and weekends. The last 2 years I have been using it as a daily driver.. In 2012 my mechanic noticed a lot of corrosion on my chasis rails, I notified cadillac, they sent me to the dealer to inspect my complaint and offered me 3,000 off a new vehicle. 2 weeks ago I went for an oil change and my mechanic noticed how worse the got. I called cadillac and they told me the corrosion warranty was over. My cadillac only has 113,000 miles, now that I noticed how bad they got I will not put my family in the car.

Filed Oct 30, 2015 · Body · 86,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the frame underneath the front driver seat was rusted out, causing holes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was informed that the failure was due to the age of the vehicle and that there was no remedy available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 86,000.

Filed Feb 7, 2015 · Body, Steering · 146,000 miles · TX · crash

Driving down a highway w/ brand new sumitomo tires for rear purchased on 1/10/15, the rear right tire blew causing me to loose control sending me into the guardrail then spun out into the highway landing horizontal across all lanes of traffic with my trunk end in the hov lane. I was then struct by a box truck, spinning me back around and totaling the vehicle. The sidewalls to the tire we still attached to the rim and the tread face had detached.

Filed Sep 23, 2014 · Body, Lights · 89,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the license plate light covering was fractured and the third brake light failed to illuminate. The dealer recommended replacing the license plate covering, but the third brake light failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

Filed Jun 10, 2013 · Body, Brakes · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. The contact stated while driving various speeds the third brake light would not illuminate upon depressing the brake pedal and the rear brake light plastic panel housing was faulty. In addition, the center of the frame exhibited severe corrosion. The defect was not diagnosed nor was it repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. The failure mileage was unavailable. Updated 09/05/13

Filed Jun 1, 2012 · Body · 108,000 miles · AZ

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the trunk latch fell on her head while attempting to remove something from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the trunk would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired.the manufacture was not contacted. The failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.

Filed Feb 28, 2012 · Body · IL

While driving home from work I heard a slight crash noise, looked in my rear view mirror to see the bezel piece flew off my car and attached were the back up lights. The piece shattered and was irreplaceable. Upon research in cadillac blogs I read that this was an ongoing problem with 03-05 cts cars due to gm using a cheap glue to hold the piece on. Cadillac only agreed to replace the part if the car was still covered under their factory warranty, but I am not. Further research showed that they don't even offer athe same replacement piece, now a new part only available in an assembly kit ranging between 4-500 dollars. I find it unethical to sell a luxury car, and build it with cheap plastic pieces that simply fall off due to cheap adhesive, and cause danger to drivers behind me. The fact that the part was discontinued only proves that cadillac acknowledges the piece was cheaply constructed, and should offer replacements to all early cts models. When assembling automobile only quality parts should be used, not cheap plastic with faulty glue, I feel this warrants a recall, but one wasn't issued. Thanks for your time.

Filed Jan 5, 2012 · Body · 85,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the rear tag panel detached from the vehicle, as a result water sip in and damage the wiring of the brake lamps. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the adhesive that was used to hold the panel was defective as a result it needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance and referred her to the federal safety agency. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000 and current mileage was 95,000.

Questions about the 2003 Cadillac CTS body

Does the 2003 Cadillac CTS have body problems?

Owners have filed 22 complaints about the body of the 2003 Cadillac CTS, 7% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2003 Cadillac CTS body problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 70,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2003 Cadillac CTS body?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Cadillac CTS have the most body problems?

The Cadillac CTS model years with the most body complaints are 2003 (22 complaints), 2004 (17 complaints) and 2008 (14 complaints).

Other 2003 Cadillac CTS problems

Engine 67Electrical 56Brakes 47Lights 37Airbags 36Steering 28Driver assistance 25Transmission 25Acceleration 24Fuel system 11Suspension 11Visibility 9Tires 8Wheels 4Seats 3Seat belts 1

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